Flat Rate Expenses

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faketales

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I am a civil engineer working for a state company (what people might call semi state). A friend noted that I am entitled to claim Flat Rate Expenses in my tax return. I am not sure I am.

On the revenue website:
Under Your Job > Flat Rate Expenses > Engineering & Electrical it asks to select my profession:
-Civil Service
-Local Authorities
-Eircom, Coillte, OPW
-Employed by other

I select Employed by Other:
- Skilled workers who bear the full cost of own tools and overalls
- Semi-skilled workers who bear the full cost of own tools and overalls
- All unskilled workers and skilled or semi-skilled workers who do not bear the full cost of own tools and overalls

I don't believe I am any of them, I am a skilled worked and my PPE is supplied. Obviously I need office clothes and would wear something different visiting a site.

What I don't understand is why the first option is only for certain state / semistate employees. I have worked for a local authority and they also provided PPE.

Eircom doesn't even exist but I don't see why those three are different to other state companies, ESB, EirGrid, CIE, DAA etc.

Am I entitled to it?

Surly any tax credit should be about either an expense or if flat rate available to all in a certain profession regardless of employer (public or private). This just seems like a backdoor payment for certain employees.
 
Yes, I think flat rate expenses are strange. For normal teachers, it is 583.
 
ACER10 said:
Yes, I think flat rate expenses are strange. For normal teachers, it is 583.
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They definitely seem some what arbitrary and possibly out of date given the inclusion of Eircom.

Very surprised that they can only give it to people with certain employers. I wonder was it part of a negotiation deal.
 
faketales said:
They definitely seem some what arbitrary and possibly out of date given the inclusion of Eircom.

Very surprised that they can only give it to people with certain employers. I wonder was it part of a negotiation deal.
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It's for the unions. The entries have been same for decades. Lord help us if Revenue treated each person equally. There are rumours about removing flat rate expenses since 2018, but covid somehow infected affected the revenues programme.
 
Do you not fall into the third category?

- All unskilled workers and skilled or semi-skilled workers who do not bear the full cost of own tools and overalls
 
Yes, these expenses are negotiated by the unions, you can see how the INTO are good at that. Most workers are getting no flat rate expenses these days.
 
Landscape said:
Do you not fall into the third category?

- All unskilled workers and skilled or semi-skilled workers who do not bear the full cost of own tools and overalls
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On rereading I do.

Can't say it's very intuitive. I wonder is what I get different to a local authority worker

Found a list here.

Flat Rate Expense (FRE) allowances

This page outlines Flat Rate Expense allowances
www.revenue.ie

I fall into with the 3rd option above as skilled. It's in the Engineering category.

Or under Building and related trades > Professionals engineers etc
 
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